Belt or apron guide.



0. H. MATTIGE. BELT 0R APRON GUIDE. APPLIOATION FILED I ULY e, 1909.

Patented June 27, 1911.

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CHARLES H. MATTICE, OF GREEN ISLAND, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO ADAMS LAUNDRY MACHINERY COMPANY, 0F TROY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BELT `OR APRON GUIDE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 27, 1911 Application filed July 8, 1909. Serial No. 506,504.

To all whom it may concer/n:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. MATTICE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Green Island, Albany county, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Belt or Apron Guides, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to belt or apron guides, z'. e., to means for guiding a belt or apron running over pulleys or rolls in an approximately accurate line of travel, and for automatically correcting its .lateral deviations therefrom.

It includes simple and efficient means foi securing this result, together with many features of construction, which will be described in this specification and pointed out in the claims.

I have chosen for illustration an apron guide as used in a laundry ironing machine or mangle.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a rear elevation of so much of such a machine as is necessary to illustrate my invention, all other parts being omitted; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same device.

In the drawings, l1 designates the apron of the machine, usually of canvas or the like, which passes over the main roll and several smaller rolls, not shown, and holds the articles to be ironed in contact therewith, such rolls being suitably heated.

12 is one of the rolls over which the apron 11 runs, mounted at each end in a bearing 13, which is swiveled on a pin 14 in a swinging bracket 15, the opposite end of which is mounted on a pin or stud 16 secured to any suitable stationary part of the machine. From each of the brackets 15 projects a lateral arm 17 having a slot 18 near its end, through which passes a bolt 19 by which the arm is connected with a suitably supported bar 20 parallel with the roll 12 and capable of longitudinal movement. At the end of the bar or shaft 20 are collars 21, between which is rotatably mounted a transverse rod 22, normally held by a spring 23 between the convolutions of a worm 24, secured on the end of a short shaft 25, o-n which shaft is also secured a pinion 26. Mounted freely on the shaft 25 is a rockarm 27 connected by a rod 28 with an eccentric 29 secured on the end of any suitable constantly rotated shaft of the machine. At

the free end of the arm 27 is pivoted a twoarmed pawl 30, each of its tips, 31, 32, be ing adapted to alternative engagement with the teeth `of the pinion 26. Between the two arms of the pawl 30 is a plate 33, which is secured to or forms part of a bell-crank lever 34 pivoted in-a bearing 35 and carrying at its free end a bar 36, which traverses the path of the belt or apron 11 and has sliding movement through a second bearing 37 at its other end. Mounted on the bar 36 and adjustably securable thereon by set screws 38 are two guide plates 39, 40, each having a flange 41 in the plane of the belt 11 and adjacent thereto.

The operation of the device as illustrated is as follows: So long as the b-eltor apron 11 runs true, none of the parts described are active, except that the rock arm 27 and pawl 30 are continuously actuated through the eccentric 29 and rod 28. If however the belt rides to the right of the drawing, Fig. 1, it will impinge against the flange 41 of the guide plate 39, thereby forcing the bar 36 to the right of the figure. This acts through the bell-crank lever 34 to move the plate 33 to the right of Fig. 2, thus depressing the left arm of the pawl 30 and engaging the tip 31 of the pawl with the teeth of the pinion 26. Each rotation of the shaft to which the eccentric 29 is attached will advance the pinion one tooth in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, thus slowly turning the worm 24 and by means of the rod 22 moving the shaft 20 to the right of Fig. 1. This movement of the shaft 20 acts through the arms 17 to swing both brackets 15 on the stationary pins 16 and thus, the pins 16 being on opposite sides of the respective arms 17, to raise the bracket 13 at the right of Fig. 1, and to correspondingly depress the left bracket 13, thereby tilting the roll 12, over which the apron 11 runs, and causing the apron to ride to the left, the movement of the arms, brackets and roll being indicated in line dotted lines, Fig. 1. Obviously, the impingement of the apron against the guide plate 40 serves to move the plate 33 to the left of Fig. 2, thus causing the tip 32 of the pawl 30 to engage with the teeth of the pinion 26 and turning the shaft 25 in the opposite direction to that above described, whereby, as will be seen without further description, the left end, Fig. 1, of

the roll 12 will be raised, and the apron 11 will ride to the right, z'. c., as before to its true median position.

It will of course be understood that the words raise and depress as used above with reference to the movement of the ends of the roll l2 refer only to the position of parts as shown in the drawings, the movement of the roll being in fact, whether vertical, horizontal or otherwise, such as to slightly increase the tension on, or lengt-hen the path of travel of, that side of the belt or apron which contacts with the guide plate.

It will be further understood that means differing from those shown may be employed to produce this tilting of the roll by a movement of either or both of its ends; and that in generalmechanical equivalents may be substituted for the roll itself or any other part of the device.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a belt or apron guide, aroll over which the belt travels; a bearing at each end of said roll; swinging brackets in which said bearings are mounted; and means for swinging said brackets to tilt said roll, including a constantly actuated two-armed pawl, a pinion engageable by said pawl, a worm rotatable by said pinion, guide plates adjacent each edge of the belt, a part adapted by its movement to force either arm of said pawl alternatively into engagement with the teeth of said pinion, connections between said guide plates and said last named part for actuating the latter and connections between said worm and said brackets, substantially for the purposes set forth.

2. In a belt or apron guide, a roll over which the belt travels; a bearing at each end of said roll; oppositely disposed swinging brackets in which said bearings are mounted; an arm on each of said brackets; a longitudinally movable bar to which said arms are pivotally connected; a shaft carrying a pinion and a worm; means connecting said bar and said worm whereby the rot-ation of vsaid shaft will act to move said bar and thereby tilt said bearings; a two-arm pawl engageable with said pinion and connected for continuous oscillation to a moving part of the machine; a second longitudinally movable bar carrying two guide plates each in the plane, and adjacent the norma-l path of travel, of one edge of said belt; and means connected with said last-named bar for alternatively permitting one arm of said pawl to engage with said pinion.

3. In a belt or apron guide, a roll over which the belt travels; a bearing at each end of said roll; oppositely disposed swinging brackets in which said bearings are mounted; an arm on each of said brackets; a longitudinallyrmovable bar to which said arms are pivotally connected; a shaft carrying a pinion and a worm; means detachably connecting said bar and said worm whereby the rotation of said shaft will act to move said bar and thereby tilt said bearings; a two-arm pawl engageable with said pinion and connected for continuous oscillation to a moving part of the machine; a second longitudinally movable bar carrying two guide plates each in the plane, and adjacent the ,normal path of travel,of one edge of said belt; and means connected with said last-named bar for alternatively permitting one arm of said pawl to engage with said pinion.

4. In a belt or apron guide, a roll over which the belt travels; a bearing at each end of said roll; oppositely disposed swinging brackets in which said bearings are mounted; an arm on each of said brackets; a longitudinally movable bar to which said arms are pivotally connected; a shaft carrying a pinion and a worm; means detachably connecting said bar and said worm whereby the rotation of said shaft will act to-move said bar and thereby tilt said bearings;'a rockarm freely mounted on said shaft; means for rocking said arm connected with a continuously operated part of the machine; a twoarm pawl on said rock-arm and engageable with said pinion; a second longitudinally movable bar carrying two guide plates each in the plane, and adjacent the normal path of travel, of one edge of said belt; and means connected with said last-named bar for alternatively permitting one arm of said pawl to engage with said pinion.

5. In a belt or apron guide, a roll over which the belt travels; a bearing at each end of said roll; oppositely disposed swinging brackets in which said bearings are mounted; an arm on each of said brackets; a longitudinally movable bar to which said arms are pivotally connected; a shaft carrying a pinion and a worm; means connecting said bar and said worm whereby the rota-tion of said shaft will act to move said bar and thereby tilt said bearings; a two-arm pawl engageable with said pinion and connected for continuous oscillation to a moving part of the machine; a second longitudinally movable bar carrying two guide plates each in the plane, and Aadjacent the normal path of travel, of one edge of said belt; and a lever connected with said last-named ,bar and adapted to move either arm of said pawl into engagement with said pinion.

l CHARLES I-LMATTICE.

Witnesses:

JOHN T. BIRGE, Gro. L. COOPER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, rby addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

